Wednesday, January 05, 2005

Book Review: Steal Away

Christian fiction is often preachy and cliched with an obvious agenda of making a point. Linda Hall, the author of Steal Away, though, is never any of these. I have read previous fiction by Hall and have always enjoyed it. In Steal Away Linda Hall begins the Teri Blake-Addison Mystery series. Teri Blake-Addison is a private detective, newly married to widower and fellow Christian, Jack Addison who is a professor of English. Teri is hired by Dr Houseman, a world-famous author and televangelist, to investigate the state of mind of his wife who disappeared in a boating accident some years before. Dr Houseman is getting married again and wants to put this previous phase of his life to rest.
The plot of this novel is quite good although I guessed the central resolution of the mystery almost immediately. Despite that, there are a number of sub-plots that come together at the very end. The themes of forgiveness and redemption are obvious along with a gentle but pointed critique of a religious life that has no time for everyday relationships with friends and family.
From the Cover
'Dr. Carl Houseman, celebrated minister and speaker, is determined to find out what really happened to his wife, declared dead five years ago after her sailboat washed ashore on a coastal island of Maine. Private investigator Terri Blake-Addison must piece together the life of this woman who felt she didn't know or understand the God that her husband so faithfully served. Did Ellen really die in those cold Atlantic waters? When a murder rocks the island, Terri knows more is at stake than just the puzzling life of an unhappy minister's wife.'
You can Buy Steal Away from Amazon.com